This Should Not Have Happened At All!
by 6Phantom6
Summary: Basically, a 'what-if' scenario in which somehow Chris was catapulted into a toxic waste puddle instead of the Latrines in 'Revenge'. Chef's the star this time! Let's just hope he survives long enough to get the girl (and possibly a paycheck)!
1. Tainted Goods

A story of Chef, and freaky stuff. I can't write anymore. Someone end me.

All characters belong to Total Drama, Jennifer Pertsch, Tom McGillis, and Fresh TV. I only own Lily (I swear I won't turn it into a ship fic on purpose!)

/

"Hatchet," A doctor said, gently shaking the other man's shoulder, "Hatchet?" Chef Hatchet suddenly sprang into action as he pinned the doctor to the floor, keeping a firm grip on his neck. "Mr. Hatchet…please!" The doctor croaked out.

"Oh, sorry," The ex-marine said as he let go of him, "Old habits die hard."

"Dully noted." The doctor said, rubbing his neck, "We've got him stable." Chef Hatchet felt a little relief wash over. "He'll live, but…" He said, but stalled.

"But what?" The larger man growled, "What the hell's wrong with him?!"

"Your friend is suffering through a horrific mutation," The doctor explained, keeping his eyes on his clipboard, "Nothing too life threatening, just life altering."

"How bad?" Hatchet asked. The doctor opened his mouth to explain, but closed it again, looking back at his notes and then to Hatchet again. "Spit it out!" The larger man yelled as he picked the medical professional by the lapels of his coat, "How bad is he!?"

"I can't explain it…" The doctor said, breaking eye contact, "He's going through it as we speak."

"Show me." Hatchet growled.

"I advise against that." The smaller man answered.

"Show. Me." The ex-marine ordered.

"Sir, I really don't think you should see your friend in such a state." The doctor tried to reason, "I mean…I had a hard time standing there, and I've seen the victims of car accidents!"

"You better show me what's happening to Chris," Hatchet threatened, "Or you'll be eating through a straw in your neck!"

"Okay!" The doctor squeaked, "Fine, I'll show you!" The two men then walked through the double doors, the doctor fumbling with a key card to unlock the door beyond that. "Your friend is still exhibiting a bit of radiation," The doctor explained as he slid the card through the reader, "So you'll have to wear a hazmat suit."

"I already knew that!" Hatchet barked as they entered a locker room.

"Did your friend know that he was operating on a radioactive island?" The doctor asked as he took a hazmat suit out.

"Yeah," Hatchet admitted, "But he didn't know where else to host the island! Or didn't care; I just follow and do what I'm told."

"You need a better friend," the other man said, "That, or get out of television."

"You try quitting when you're bound to a contract!" The ex-marine said as he slipped on the headgear.

"Whatever…" The doctor uttered as he and Chef entered a chamber, "Contracts are just words on paper." The two waited as they were decontaminated, watching people in hazmat suits on the other side walk to and fro with something in their hands. The spraying finally stopped and the door opened.

Chef couldn't help but look around the room; it looked more like it belonged in a warehouse than in a hospital. It was large enough to hold a 747, holding many patients in thick, glass containers instead. Various beeps could be heard from EKGs and Cardiograms, all in various tempos and volumes. "Why is he here?" Chef couldn't help but ask, "Why are all these people here?"

"This is a special ward for those affected with toxic products and byproducts," The doctor explained, "They either could decompose into a mush or mutate into some hideous creature. Whatever the case may be, they are too dangerous to be around the other patients." A loud commotion was heard as several persons ran to glass container, shouting orders. "Guess one's melting now." The doctor commented.

"Will you just show me to Chris?" Chef asked, feeling a little sick.

"Don't you wanna see a man melt?" The professional offered, "It's kinda neat."

"Just take me to Chris," Hatchet said, "Before I puke."

"Okay, okay." The doctor said as they walked away. Chef dared to look back at the scene, looking away as a hand splattered on the glass, leaving a flesh-covered smear as it trailed back down. The two walked through a row, exposing Hatchet to mutated patients of all varieties.

"You said he was mutating right now, right?" Hatchet asked, trying not to lock eyes with the patients.

"Yeah," The doctor said, "We had to put him in an extra-large case." The image of Dakota flashed before Hatchet's eyes, remembering how bad her mutation was. "Not only that," The professional continued, "But we had to call a few members of animal control."

"Why?" Hatchet dared to ask. The doctor didn't answer as the two stopped in front of a glass chamber large enough to hold an elephant. He jerked a thumb, and Hatchet saw the reason why. In the middle of the chamber was Chris, holding a hospital bed over his head. "Oh…" He uttered as his partner threw the bed against the glass, barely causing a scratch.

"These little chambers are strong enough to stand against a tank shot," the doctor boasted, "So we don't have to worry about break outs." But Hatchet ignored him as he walked up right to the glass, watching Chris as he furiously kicked and punched at his chamber walls. He noted that Chris looked to be his height, maybe a little taller. "Hey, get the hell away!" The doctor said as he tried to pull Hatchet away.

"Can I go inside?" Hatchet asked.

"You nuts?" The doctor spat back, "You're gonna get ripped in half!"

"He's still my partner," The ex-marine said, "He'll listen to me."

"He ain't like a puppy you had back home," The doctor reason, "As said, he's mutating right now. Usually, its human reasoning that goes first and then the whole body goes with it. There's a big chance that you'll get caught when that happens, and you go from 'friend' to 'chew-toy'!"

"I gotta try." Hatchet uttered, making the doctor grunt and walk away. He turned to see the doctor talking to another person, losing interest and turning back to Chris again. He watched as his partner staggered to an opposite side until he collapsed on the floor. He felt a hand on his shoulder, making him look to see the doctor had returned with another man holding a tranquilizer gun.

"You're lucky," The professional said, "They'll allow you in there for roughly fifteen to twenty minutes. This guy will pull you out when time's up, or when things go south."

"I have to go in there one on one." The ex-marine stated. The doctor shot a look at the man, and he nodded.

"Fine." The doctor surrendered. The trio then walked over to an extension on the case, where the doctor slid a different card through the reader. The door opened and Chef went inside. The first thing he noticed was that the case was sound-proof; all that was heard was Chris' whimpering.

"Chris?" He called, "Chris, it's me."

"Ha…Hatchet?" Chris croaked. Chef walked cautiously to his partner, keeping his movements slow.

"Yeah, it's me." He answered, "Don't freak out."

"It hurts…" The patient sobbed, "I can't take it!"

"Settle down," Hatchet uttered as he knelt, "It'll be okay." But he regretted those words in an instant. Chris's skin was forfeiting to forest-green scales, protruding through the flesh in patches. He still had a little hair left, but Hatchet could see something else growing under the scalp: a pointed bump protruded through a patch of hair.

"Please," Chris moaned, "Hatchet please…I can't be a monster!"

"You'll be okay…" Chef tried to soothe, "You're not gonna be a monster."

"I'm just some freak-show to these bastards!" He growled as he tried to roll over.

"Calm down Chris." Hatchet said as he sat his partner up, "It'll be okay. You just need to calm down. There's no need to act this way; you're acting like Ezekiel." Hatchet gasped at his realization. Chris glared at him, baring his newly developing fangs.

"Ezekiel isn't in here." He growled, "I am. Someone threw me into that toxic barrel. He got lost in a plane. So why the hell am I here while he's not?!"

"I'm sorry about that." The ex-marine quickly uttered, but Chris let out a snarl, silencing the other man. "Look, the doctors are doing the best they can," Hatchet said, "But you're not gonna get better if you keep acting like this!" Before Chris could retaliate, he cried out, hands reaching to Hatchet's suit. Hatchet pulled his partner close so his head would rest on his broad shoulder, feeling Chris' hands grip handfuls of his suit.

"Make it stop!" He screamed, "MAKE IT STOP!"

"It will pass!" Hatchet assured, "Just hold on!" But Chris buried his face into his shoulder, screaming muffled by fabric. The sounds of cracking made Chef look to see Chris' legs starting to twist around each other, quickly turning his gaze away. 'This is worse than I thought…' he thought as he stroked his partner's back, 'How in the hell am I gonna get him back to normal?' Suddenly, he noticed that Chris stopped screaming, yet the sounds of cracking bone were still heard. He gently jostled his shoulder, asking, "Chris, are you alright? Chris?"

The brunette looked up at his friend, tears slipping down his face. But what scared Chef is that a smile graced his friend's lips; a small, genuine, sad smile. "Chef…" he uttered, "Do you know that trick?"

"Wh-what trick exactly?" He asked, cursing himself for showing fear.

"You know what trick I'm talking about," Chris said quietly, "That trick that you can do…that one you told me about…that one you learned when you were fighting overseas." Chef widened his eyes, his breath hitched in his throat.

"Chris, no," he uttered as he let his friend go and scooted away, "No, I'm not gonna do it!"

"You're running out of time," Chris purred as he struggled to sit himself up right, "They're gonna take you, and I will never see you again. I'm going to rot for the rest of my days; going to be poked and prodded by day, left alone in this cage at night. That's worse than death in my opinion…and you're gonna let me suffer through that?"

"Chris, will you listen to yourself?!" Chef shouted, "Look, just be patient and let the nice doctors help you. You'll be better in no time, and everything will go back to normal!"

"The hell are you talking about?" His partner calmly asked, "You're talking like I have a broken leg. Look at me; I'm a monster. Nothing will ever be the same again. Look, if you have a hard time doing it, let's play pretend. Pretend I'm one of the guys in your platoon that just lost both of his legs due to stepping on a land mine. I'm in pure agony here, Hatchet; do it."

But before Hatchet could answer, the door opened and the man with the tranq gun appeared, pulling him away. "Time's up." He uttered, "Come on."

"Wait, hold on." Chef uttered, but the man kept pulling him back.

"I said time's up," The man answered, "Any longer, and you're gonna get sick. Besides, your friend is slipping." The two exited the chamber, people on the other side rushing over to the two.

"Do you feel okay?"

"Has your suit been punctured?"

"What was it like?!"

"Did he bite you?"

Chef growled as he shoved past the questioning professionals, rooting around until he found the doctor from before. He picked him up and said, "You better get him back to normal," he threatened, "Or I will claw down your throat, little man."

"Are you crazy?' The doctor chuckled, "We would be lucky if we could keep him sane. He'll never get back to normal!"

"Then try damn it!" Chef yelled, "Fucking try!"

"Look," The doctor said as he adopted a serious tone, "To get him back to normal is like trying to fix Chernobyl. It's gonna take a long time, and it will take a ton of money. And I doubt you have a few million dollars lying around in your hovel. Besides, it's gonna be risky; off the top of my head, we'll probably have to replace the whole body! So let's be reasonable; we're doctors, not miracle workers. And besides, he was a terrible person; more good than harm by keeping him here."

"He's also my friend." Chef uttered before dropping the man and storming off.

/

To be continue


	2. The Call to Arms

All characters belong to Total Drama, Jennifer Pertsch, Tom McGillis, and Fresh TV. I only own Lily (I swear I won't turn it into a ship fic on purpose!)

/

Chef snorted as he woke up, nearly tipping over the chair he slept in. "What time is it?" He muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled a cell phone out. The time and date on the little screen said, '8: 30 p.m., May 26, 2013'. "A whole year," he breathed out, "damn…" He stood up from the kitchen table and walked into his living room. It was dark, but he could see well enough to make his way to the light switch. But when he flicked it on, the area remained dark. "Dang it," he cursed, "I know I paid on time…" He opened the door to his apartment and found that the whole building was dark, making him realize either the power is out, or a fuse was blown.

"Mr. Hatchet, is that you?" A voice asked, making him look around to see a figure with a lit candle approach him.

"Yeah Lily," he answered, "Is the whole building out of power?"

"More like the whole city," she answered as she scratched her head, "I think some bozo downtown hit a transformer."

"Man," Hatchet groaned, "And the season finale was gonna air tonight!"

"You mean of '_The Daring and Stupid_'?" Lily asked, "I'm kinda bummed myself; I wanted to know who Alexia's brother three times removed was."

"So," He uttered, "Wanna come in?"

"Sure," She accepted as the two entered, "No use sitting alone in the dark." As he closed the door, the young girl set the candle on the coffee table, lighting the room in a dull glow.

"Want something to drink?" He asked.

"I couldn't trouble you." She answered.

"You'll take one," he said, "Even if I have to get a funnel." He took a quick look at her and went to the kitchen. He mused that she couldn't be any older than twenty-three, with long black hair bound in a braid. He recounted that he met Lily in less than half a year when he moved into an apartment in Ottawa. He wanted to move to try and relax during his time off. He couldn't help but remember when he first met her; a pale girl in horn-rimmed glasses standing there with a smile on her face and a basket filled with goodies. From then on, it was a relationship of a naïve girl trying to bond with a living statue; either being invited to her apartment, or let her into his. He found her annoying, but he couldn't push her away or deny her invites for coffee. He sighed as he pulled a can of soda out, thinking, 'I'm using her to forget.'

"Hope you don't mind warm soda." He uttered as he handed the younger girl a can.

"Nah, it's alright." She answered as she carefully pulled the tab. He took a seat next to her on the couch, holding the slightly warm can his palm.

"Hey," He spoke up, "You kinda remind me of Zoey."

"Zoey?" Lily spoke, "Is she an old girlfriend of yours?"

"Nah," He answered, mentally sighing in relief, "Just somebody I somewhat knew."

"Oh," She answered, "But she has to be somewhat relevant to you, since you remembered her name."

"Let's just say," Chef uttered, "She's no one that special. Just someone I knew."

"Oh," She said, staring back at her can, "Okay." Silence filled between them, barely subdued by the ticking of the wall clock. Chef took a quick glance at her, seeing her tap her thumbs against the can, before looking away and trying to find something else to stare at. Shadows wobbled with the flame, distorting the objects attached to them.

"I'll go open a window." He uttered as he stood up and walked to the back, pushing up the window and sticking his head out. Lily was right as he saw the whole city was pitch black, barely lit by the moon over head. A slight breeze was wafting against his skin, sending a shiver despite it being summer.

"Guess you're right," he said as he pulled away, "The whole city's pitch black!"

"It's kinda scary," She said as she joined him, "Kinda like those science fiction movies when the whole city loses power before the aliens come and invade."

"Yeah," he admitted, "Or a monster…" He tensed, rubbing his arms.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked.

"No," Chef admitted, "I'm just getting some bad memories from this…"

"Fear of the dark?" She asked.

"Kinda…" he answered.

"You wanna talk about it?" She offered.

"Nah," He declined, "I don't wanna drag you into this."

"I don't mind." Lily said.

"Let me start with a question then," Chef began, "Have you heard of a show called Total Drama Island?"

"Not really…" She admitted, "I heard people talking about it, but I haven't really checked it out. I was busy at that time. It was that reality show with teenagers, right?"

"Yeah." Chef answered.

"What about it?" Lily asked.

"Well, I was on it," He said, "I worked on it as…well…the side kick. But anyway, me and my old partner worked on that show, and the next season, and the season after that, and the season after that. And there are more seasons to come; filming starts sometime this summer."

"Quite an interesting life," She commented, "But how does the dark connect with your job?"

"Before I moved here," Chef began, "I was working on the fourth season. Unfortunately, my partner thought it would be a great idea to host the show on an island contaminated with toxic waste. For the most part, everything worked out okay; barely a contestant mutated. That is, until there were four contestants left. One of those little bastards set a trap, and my partner fell for it." He paused and sighed, gritting his teeth. He felt a small hand sneak into his large one, giving an assuring squeeze.

"He was catapulted into a puddle of toxic waste," he continued, "Bounced out and landed in a barrel of the stuff. The medics rushed him to the hospital, and I was forced to wait for a good three hours. When I was allowed to see him…it wasn't good…"

"What happened?" She asked.

"He was already mutating," He said, "He was almost as tall as me when I got to see him. Spikes, claws, scales; I even saw his legs twist like a pretzel! But that's not what got me…" He stopped again and swallowed, trying to calm himself. "He wanted me to kill him," he continued, "Use an old technique. I refused, trying to coax him to rethink. But I was escorted out before I could say anything else."

"Did you see him again?" Lily asked.

"No," Chef said, "They wouldn't let me back in. They wouldn't even tell me how he's doing; they basically turned my partner into a dirty secret. The producers aren't any better; they reshot the episode and finished the season with some stand-in named Christian, acting like nothing ever happened!" He grunted, and closed his eyes, uttering, "Sometimes, I would lay awake at night, remembering that conversation, and wondering if I made the right choice. Sometimes, I would dream of him, screaming at me, saying I was a bastard of a friend for letting him live."

"Hatchet," she cooed, "I don't know what to tell you, but I'm sure he holds no anger at you. He's probably waiting for you back there."

"It's been a year," He said, "He probably dead by now, or forgotten about me. I'll never know; I might be alone all over again."

"You're not alone," Lily coaxed, "You got me."

"You don't wanna be friends with an old soldier," Chef uttered bitterly, "And especially a failure of a friend."

"And yet I'm here," She reminded, "I listened to your story because I want to help. I know I will never replace your friend in any way, but I am here to be a shoulder to cry on. That hand to hold. But I'll understand if you don't want me around; I've been told I am annoying."

"Truth be told," He admitted, "You are annoying. I knew you were annoying, and yet I still let you into my apartment for a chat or two. I still came over when you invited me to watch some TV. Heck, I accepted your invite to a gemstone expo, and I don't care about some shiny rocks!"

"At least you're honest," she said with a smile, "I'm glad to have met you, Mr. Hatchet."

"Same here Lily," he said, "same here."

/

Later, after Chef fished out a radio, the two waited in dull light as Chef turned the knob slowly as Lily manipulated the antenna. "Remember," He said, "Slow, steady, and try not to hit my head."

"Got'cha…" she said as she carefully turned the metal stick. Suddenly, static started to give into a conversation, prompting the two to stop and for Chef to turn up the volume.

"…And into the third hour of the Ottawa power-outage," A female reporter said, "Workers are still trying to find out the cause."

"That long?" Chef commented, "What are these slow-pokes doing?!"

"Currently, most major buildings are running on backup generators," The reporter continued, "However, several generators have already run out of fuel. What is worse is that more fuel cannot be retrieved due to the lack of power. But there is good news as several workers of said buildings donated their car batteries and gasoline to try and aid their power needs."

"Would that even work?" Lily asked, prompting Chef to shrug.

"We will now turn over to my partner Nick for a crime report." The female said.

"Thank you Samantha," A male answered, "I come to you with an urgent message. It has been reported that several youths have been murdered. As of now, only four victims were found; two in a park, one in Savana hotel, and one inside a robbed electronic store. All of the victims were crushed to death in a manner that police speculate to be caused by a large snake. The only names released were that of two makes found in the park; Scott Green, age 16 and Duncan Tanner, age 17."

"He can't mean those two…" Chef uttered, shaking his head, "No way."

"You knew them?" Lily asked.

"Scott and Duncan were contestants of 'Total Drama'." He explained, "But what would they be doing here?! I know damn well those two don't live in Ottawa!"

"You did say that filming may start sometime this summer," She reminded, "So maybe they flew in."

"No one was able to give as description of the assailant," Nick reported, "But members of the hotel have heard screaming on the floor of where one murder occurred, and may have heard the assailant on the fire escape. To all members of the public, please keep your doors and windows locked tonight, and do not go outside, even if the power returns. If the assailant comes to you, do your best to escape, and find a police officer. We hope you remain safe this evening; back to you, Samantha."

"This is unbelievable..." Chef sighed as he settled into the couch, "I bet those two other victims were 'Total Drama' contestants too."

"It might be a crazed fan," Lily suggested, "Someone who loves or hates the show…or those contestants. But the way they were murdered; 'caused by a large snake.'?"

"My best bet is an anaconda," He said, "Had to deal with one when we shot an episode in the Amazon. But who would lug that big thing around Ottawa?"

"I'm just scared at the thought," She said, drawing her legs close, "A snake crushing people until they're jelly…"

"Anyway, I want to see for myself." He said as he turned the radio off and stood up.

"But the report says we should stay inside," Lily reminded, "And it's unsafe to drive when there's no electricity!"

"I didn't say you had to come," Hatchet said, "Besides, I can handle it. I fought in total darkness before, I can do it again." He pulled a flashlight and his keys out of a drawer and headed to the front door. "You can stay here," he said, "Just don't go through my closet; I have a lot of ugly stuff in there."

"Wait," she said, standing up, "I…I'll come with you!"

"You sure?" He asked, "You're the one that wanted to stay inside."

"Well," Lily said, fidgeting, "I want you to stay inside, but I don't want you hurt either! If someone hurts you, you need someone to drive you to at least a first aid station! Or at least, you need back up."

"Fine," He surrendered, "But I'm not saving your butt if you get your foot caught or something!"

"Message received." She answered, blowing out the candle.

/

To be continue


	3. Green Horn Investigation Squad

All characters belong to Total Drama, Jennifer Pertsch, Tom McGillis, and Fresh TV. And this isn't an OC ship fic.

/

Later, the two carefully maneuvered through the dark streets, surprised that the traffic was not jammed with police cars or wrecks. "It's too quiet…" Chef commented as he looked at the abandoned sidewalks, "There's gotta be at least one guy walking around."

"Probably," Lily remarked, "Just not here. Where are we going anyway?"

"The park," He replied, "I just wanna make sure of something."

"The police probably removed the bodies by now." She said.

"Can't hurt to try." He said as he made a right turn, "If not that, then I could at least lend some information. Probably save a few lives."

"Do you think that all the contestants from 'Total Drama' are in Ottawa?" Lily asked.

"Just a small number," He said, "Some contestants weren't asked to compete ever again; all decided by popular demand. I know who's supposed to be here."

"Duncan and Scott were two, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," He answered, "And probably the other two victims." The two pulled up to the park, seeing several police cars parked and police tape blocking the entrance.

As the two got out, a police officer walked up to them and said, "Whoa, no public persons need to see this! Go back to your homes!"

"Officer," Chef began, "I think I personally know the two murder victims here."

"How could you have any relation to the two victims?" The officer asked.

"If I'm correct," He began, "We are all on the same TV show. I just need to see the bodies."

"Sir," The officer argued, "We don't show dead bodies to the public; we don't need to kill the faint of heart."

"Boy," Chef spat, "I've seen my fair share of the dead! Two crushed bodies of punks won't send me running!"

"What's going on here?" Another officer said as he joined the two.

"This bozo wants to see the dead!" The first reported.

"Sir, unless you are a family member," The second officer began, "You are not allowed to see the bodies. You can see them at the funeral, although I doubt it would be an open casket."

"I'm trying to help," Chef said, "I think the killer's targeting certain people!"

"Look at the big, tough guy playing detective!" The first officer teased, "Aren't we a cutie pie?"

"You little-!" Chef almost charged but Lily stepped in front, trying to separate the two.

"What he means," She began, "Is that he thinks the killer is attacking contestants and possibly people working on the next season of 'Total Drama'. He just needs to see the bodies to see if the victims were contestants due to their names."

"Sweet heart," The second officer began, "You and muscle boy aren't seeing jack squat. You two aren't detectives, or people working the morgue, or cops. You're just two innocent bystanders that think they can do a better job than us just because of a possible coincidence. Now get out before I charge the both of you trespassing, illegal parking, and attempted assault on an officer." Chef shot a glare at the two but walked away, pulling Lily with him.

"I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Nah, it ain't your fault," He said, "But I can't believe they're not even listening."

"What do we do now?" She asked as they entered the car.

"My best bet," Hatchet answered, "Is to drive around a little. Maybe check out that hotel for a clue…"

"The police probably surrounded that area too…" Lily pointed out as he started the car.

"We're still gonna try!" He said as he pulled away.

/

Later, the duo covered two blocks, trying to find the Savana Hotel. "You sure it's around here?" Hatchet asked.

"Yeah," Lily answered as she squinted, "I remember seeing the hotel when I was looking for the flower shop. There is a large, spray painted mural on the side of the hotel itself, so it shouldn't be hard to find."

"How are we gonna find a mural in the dark!?" He asked.

"Right…" She said as she slapped her head, "Stupid me."

"Brother..."Hatchet uttered as he pulled to the side, "Let's just start walking, and maybe we'll bump into it."

"But what about the killer?" Lily asked.

"What about him?" He asked, "He's probably long gone at this point; trying to find another kid to kill off. Let's just find this hotel; I kinda wanna see who victim number three is."

"Who is going to be in this next season?" Lily asked as she pulled a flashlight from under the seat, "Just to get a clue of who's in danger."

"Off the top of my head," Hachet answered, "There's Mike, Zoey, Gwen, Cameron, Sierra, Heather, Lindsey, Lightning, Courtney, Scott, Duncan, Alejandro, and Sam. With four down, there's only twelve to ten contestants left; they didn't say about the other two victims."

"Do you know who's in Ottawa tonight?" She asked as they started walking.

"Other than who's already dead," He answered, "I never get any info like that. Only the host gets that info."

"Wait, why not contact the host?" She suggested, "Maybe then he'll get in contact with everyone, and-"

"Can't." He interrupted as he held his cell phone out, "My phone doesn't have signal. Nice try though." Suddenly, Hatchet stopped walking as he stepped on something. Lily pointed the light down to see it was a shard of glass. She pointed the light to a store with a large, shattered window.

"That's the used furniture store," Lily said as they carefully approached the store front, "I remember there being a small dining room set in the front window." She carefully shined the light into the store, seeing the broken remains of a chair along the black and white tile. "So much for the dining room set." She uttered.

"Let me see that light." Hatchet said as she handed the tool over. He carefully shined the light over until he saw a creep of red against the white. "Blood…" he muttered.

"Should we…?" She started.

"Anyone in there!?" He called, "Hello!?"

"Don't hurt me." A voice called, causing Hatchet to jump through the broken window. As Lily carefully followed, Hatchet was kneeling at a body at the end of the store. The victim looked to be male, clothed in plaid with his pants stained blood.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked.

"Other than the fact that I got tossed through a window," the man said, "I'm alright. Just need a little help with my leg."

"Doesn't look that deep." Hatchet remarked as he tore a piece of his shirt and carefully wrapped it around the wound, "He'll live."

"What happened to you?" Lily asked.

"I was minding my own business when suddenly I get sent flying through the air and crashed through this window." The man explained, "I passed out until a little while ago, and I just lied here until you two came."

"So, someone picked you up and threw you through the window?" Lily asked.

"More like whacked," The man corrected, "Kinda like a ball being hit by a bat."

"So, you were hit with a bat…" She said, "And then you flew?"

"It…wasn't a bat." The man said.

"Good grief, what were you hit with?!" Hatchet asked.

"I dunno!" The man nervously answered, "It was big, strong…it was like I was hit with a giant arm or something!"

"Now you lost me." Lily uttered.

"That might be the killer..." Hatchet uttered.

"If the killer was a giant, then yeah," The man said, "But he's long gone."

"It ain't her..." The larger man stated.

"Who's…'her'?" Lily asked.

"A contestant on the previous season somehow mutated into an orange, giant monster," Hatchet explained, "Heard she didn't turn back."

"Wait, are you Chef Hatchet?" The man asked.

"Yeah, what of it?" Hatchet asked.

"Aw yeah!" The man cheered, "I loved you on 'Total Drama'! When you came out in drag…hilarious; name's Jordan, by the way."

"You…dressed in drag?" Lily asked.

"Look dunder-head, what the hell were you doing walking around at night?" Hatchet said as he tried to change the subject.

"Duh, hoping to get some autographs!" Jordan said, "Lots of people from 'Total Drama' are here. Someone that works on the show told me that some of the contestants were coming to Ottawa tonight! Though, with the power out, it's gonna be twice as hard; that, and the killer."

"So, you're somewhat of a die-hard fan of 'Total Drama'?" Lily asked.

"Not die-hard," He said, "That belongs to my blog-mate, Sierra."

"You know little miss obsessive fan?" Hatchet asked.

"Pretty much," Jordan admitted, "She often virtual sobs to me when Cody runs for the hills."

"Where's Sierra now?" Hatchet asked.

"Before the power went out," He said, "She sent me a picture of herself visiting her old folks somewhere in the rural parts of Canada. So, she's not here at the moment."

"Then, she's probably okay." Lily said.

"You have heard that there's a killer running around possibly killing 'Total Drama' contestants, right?"

"Holy shit, no!" Jordan gasped, "Wait, you sure that the guy's killing 'Total Drama' contestants?"

"Not completely," Lily admitted, "Two victims were named out of four that were murdered. One's named Duncan Tanner and the other's Scott Green."

"Yep, those were delinquent and farm boy," Jordan said, "Sierra leaked their last names to me. Shame; they were my friend Andrea's faves."

"So it was Scott and Duncan…" Hatchet uttered as he wiped his brow, "Shit, then there's a chance the other two were contestants too."

"Aw man…" The fan uttered, "What a bummer…"

"So there is a connecting point," Lily said, "Now that narrows the killer's motive. Possibly a past contestant that wasn't allowed back or an over-obsessed fan; who knows, maybe it's somebody that really hates the show."

"Oh, you're gonna be here for a while with that thinking, honey." Jordan said, "There's roughly thirty to forty contestants that have been on the show, and that's including the second part of season five."

"How did you find that out?" Hatchet asked.

"Again, inside guy." The fan said, "And there are a ton of contestants of whom could be the killer. How were they killed again?"

"The emergency broadcast said that the victims were crushed by what appears to be a snake." Hatchet replied.

"Hm…" Jordan mused, "So the killer can control snakes; probably Izzy."

"Nah, it aint her." Hatchet said.

"What, are you defending the nut ball?" The fan retorted.

"I'm not defending her," The taller man said, "It's the fact that someone or something smacked you from across the street into this store. And you said that it was like a giant smacked you; unless you were kicked or punched across the street."

"Nope," Jordan replied, "It was definitely a large appendage of some sort. So…could it be the Dakotazoid?"

"The what?" Lily asked.

"That girl that got mutated." Hatchet answered, "And no, not her either. Last I heard of her, she was working on a film career."

"Wait, really?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah," the taller man answered, "You know the Kaiju movies are coming back. But no, it's not Dakota either."

"I got it." Jordan said, "It's probably Eva! She used a large rope, and then crushed everyone to death!"

"Now that's just stupid." Lily retorted.

"It ain't Eva either." Hatchet said, "Look, there's a possibility that the murderer is a reject; there are tons more rejects than contestants. Though, I don't remember any one of them having a snake that's…probably that of an anaconda, or maybe even a boa constrictor."

"That's…just scary." Jordan uttered, "Where did the murders occur?"

"Duncan and Scott were murdered at the park," Hatchet replied, "We tried to check them out, but the police wouldn't let me look at them."

"One occurred at the Savana Hotel, and one in an electronics store." Lily added, "We're trying to find those places to see who the victims are."

"Dude, we need to find the killer!" Jordan said, "Not stare at some corpses!"

"But we need to figure out where the killer would strike next!" Lily argued.

"You're not a detective, so shut yer mouth!" The fan spat.

"Shut it! Both of you!" Hatchet butted in.

"Hey, just sayin'." Jordan said, "I mean, that's why the two of you are out, right?"

"I don't even know why I'm out here anymore," The older man uttered, "I have to baby sit a bunch of kids just to keep show going. Four are dead, and all we got on hand is a bunch of assumptions. This whole situation just doesn't make sense!"

"A guy was able to kill four people," Lily recalled, "Two at the park, one at the hotel, and one in an electronic shop. This possibly occurred close to the start of the black out, and that was around three hours ago. I think we can assume that the person created the black out in the first place."

"Cause a black out for three hours," Hatchet uttered, "Either he's wicked strong, or he's not alone."

"You mean there's probably more than one guy running around?" Jordan asked, "That would actually make sense…I mean, the distance between the park and the hotel and any electronics store is pretty darn wide."

"That would also bring up Jordan's little trip," Hatchet continued, "A burley guy that was either leaving or going to the hotel may have bumped into him and sent him flying."

"So, a regular strong guy could've just knocked me across?" Jordan asked.

"Well, what would you suggest?" Lily asked.

"It was like getting hit with a tail." The fan answered, "Like some sort of passing dinosaur, or a snake."

"Now you're just jerking our chains." Hatchet uttered.

"A dinosaur would've caught some attention, even in a black out," Lily brought up, "And I really don't think a snake would get that big…"

"My story, so I'm sticking to it." Jordan uttered as he crossed his arms.

"Why don't we get out of here before someone thinks we're robbing the place?" Hatchet suggested as he approached the window again, "I don't wanna spend a night in some cell."

/

Later, the three found the Savana hotel, finding the place empty. "Hello?" Hatchet uttered as he pushed the glass doors apart.

"Please go away!" A timid voice said from the front desk. The three walked over to see a chubby woman huddled on the floor, holding a green glow stick in her hands. "Wait, you're not guests here!" She said.

"Listen," Lily said as she shined the flash light on her name tag, "Ashley, we need to know who exactly was killed in this hotel."

"I can't tell you that!" Ashley said as she stood up, "That's confidential! The police made me swear by it!"

"It was reported on the emergency broadcast." Hatchet said.

"Can you at least tell us what the victim looked like?" Lily suggested, "This man here may know who the victim was." Ashley looked at Hatchet and put her glow stick closer to his face.

"I don't think there's much family resemblance," She said, "She had brown hair, brown skin, and was very uptight. But there's always adoption." Hatchet sighed as he backed off.

"Courtney." He said.

"No way!" Jordan gasped, "Courtney was here!? Dang!"

"Courtney was also killed here." Lily brought up.

"Yeah, crushed by a snake no less…" Ashley uttered, "Deedee won't sleep for a week; she was the one who discovered the body while bringing her some towels."

"Didn't you find someone walk in with a snake or something?" Hatchet said.

"No, that's the weird part!" The front desk manager said, "She was killed on the fourth floor! I would have noticed the guy leaving at least, but…" She put her head in her hands and sighed, sinking down to the cold desk top. "This is the police investigation all over again." She muttered.

"Wait, the fourth floor?" Lily repeated.

"Broken glass everywhere…" Ashley moaned, "Like something out of those monster movies…"

"So the killer climbed to the fourth floor, found Courtney, and killed her," Jordan summarized, "And then broke out again. Easy, right?"

"By then, Courtney would've been able to get out of the room, and get someone's attention." Lily argued.

"Not if the killer's quick!" The fan argued.

"And what about the snake?!" she argued, "The killer is carrying that thing, mind you. Those things are heavy, and don't really sit still!"

"Actually, you're both off the marker," Ashley spoke up, "When police investigated the scene, they found no other shoe marks in her room."

"What are you talking about?" Hatchet asked.

"We have carpeted floors in the hotel rooms," The desk manager explained, "Every step you make can leave a little of an imprint. But the only marks they could find were those of the victim's."

"It would also mean it would pick up on whatever's on your shoes, right?" Hatchet asked.

"Horribly," Ashley answered, "You have no idea how hard we work in removing a lot of stains from the carpets. But no, there was no proof that another person in that room the time the guest was killed."

"Okay, I'm seriously scared!" Jordan exclaimed, "The way things are shaping up, we're dealing with some sort of ghost, or monster!"

"But it can't be, can it?" Lily asked.

"I hope not." Ashley uttered.

"It's…it's impossible." Hatchet uttered as he scratched his head.

"Wait, if the killer is targeting Total Drama contestants," the fan reasoned, "Maybe it's a mutated intern!"

"A mutated intern?" Both girls repeated.

"That would explain a lot of things." Hatchet mused.

"So, there's probably a monster running around Ottawa," Ashley uttered, "Great…Why not tell the police and animal control why you're at it?"

"Would they even believe us?" Jordan asked, "I mean, we run up to a bunch of cops and say, 'Hey, we figured it out! It's a mutant intern from Total Drama that's killing everyone! You better start hunting in the dark for a monster!'"

"It's just a possibility." Hatchet uttered, "Look, let's not freak out over a possibility."

"I'm already freaking out over the fact that the killer could come back." The desk manager uttered.

"Wait, don't tell me that there's another 'Total Drama' contestant here, right?" Jordan asked.

"Three are actually staying in the hotel," Ashley said, "I didn't tell the police because it probably wasn't important, but you might use this info more. There was the victim here, but the others left the hotel to experience the night life; two girls. One had black and teal hair, and the other was a blonde. I hope that tells much."

"Lindsey and Gwen," Hatchet reported, "There's a good chance that one of them may be victim in the electronic store."

"Hope it's Gwen." the fan remarked.

"Jordan!" Lily scolded.

"Well, Gwen's just a terrible person!" Jordan reasoned, "She cheated on two guys and wrecked a bunch of ships! And we all love Lindsey; she's adorable and hot!"

"This isn't just about a television show!" She exclaimed, "We're dealing with human lives here! Young lives being extinguished when the light burned brightest! Are you listening to yourself?!"

"Hey, a fan is a fan," The fan uttered, "And a fan has a lot of opinions. I would rather have Lindsey alive than Gwen, that's that."

"Ashley," Hatchet spoke up, "Did either of those girls say where they were heading?"

"One was heading to the mall, and another to a restaurant; both wanted directions." Ashley answered, "But I forgot who wanted to go where."

"No time to lose then!" Jordan said, "To the mall!"

"Good luck!" Ashley said as the three ran off, "I'll be praying for you!"

/

To be continued.


	4. Trade You!

All characters belong to Total Drama, Jennifer Pertsch, Tom McGillis, and Fresh TV. And this isn't an OC ship fic.

/

Later, the three reached the mall, seeing the place was almost deserted. Jordan jumped out of the car and made a mad dash to the entrance. "Are fans always like that?" Lily asked as she retrieved the flashlight.

"Sometimes," Hatchet admitted as the two headed for the entrance, "It gets scary after a while."

"I could imagine so…" She uttered, "Did you or your…partner ever get any fan mail or something?"

"We get a little love," He answered, "My partner gets it more though; old fans and what not." They joined Jordan at the entrance as he threw a garbage can through the glass doors, only for it to bounce off.

"Dang it!" He cursed, "Hey, Hatchet! Punch through the glass for me, will you?!"

"Did you ever think of trying to open the door?" The larger man asked as he pulled said door open.

"Lindsey!" The fan screamed as he ran through.

"Rude." Lily remarked as the two entered. The mall was deathly silent, save for Jordan's frantic footsteps. "Jordan! Wait up!" She shouted, "You don't have a flashlight!"

"Let the nut go," Hatchet uttered, "We'll probably find him again on the ground when hetrips over his own shoe laces." As the two continued, they heard Jordan's steps and shouting grow slowly distant. "Man, for a skinny kid, he can cover some ground." He commented.

"I hope he remembers this mall has a basement floor." Lily uttered.

"Wait, what?" Hatchet asked.

"Where we are now is considered ground level," she continued to explained, "But around the middle of this building is a small basement level, filled with some specialty shops. The only way up and down though is a pair of escalators and a set of stairs. There is also a second floor, but the escalators and elevators are at the east and west extensions."

"Pretty big mall." He uttered.

"I'm surprised the whole place didn't collapse." She commented.

"All that space for an overpriced shirt," He uttered, "It's insanity." A loud scream made the two ran as fast as they could, the flashlight's beam bouncing along the walls.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Jordan screamed, "NO-AAH!"

"Jordan!" Lily screamed, "Are you okay? Jordan!"

"HELP ME!" A new voice screamed.

"That sounded like…" Hatchet uttered, "GWEN!"

"HELP ME!" Gwen screamed again, "SOME ONE PLEASE HELP ME! ANYONE!"

"That sounded like they're up ahead," Lily figured, "On the basement floor! They're cornered with the killer!"

"Perfect!" Hatchet uttered.

"We can bring the criminal to justice!" Lily panted.

"That's…corny." Hatchet uttered as the two reached the basement stairs. As they made their decent, the sound of something crunching could be heard. Lily shined the light low to the ground, and the two could hear rapid footsteps approach them. Soon Hatchet felt someone collide with him, nearly knocking him over.

"You have no idea how glad I am…" Gwen sniffled, "I owe you big time!"

"Gwen," he sighed, "You alright?"

"Where's Jordan?" Lily asked. A loud swallow caught their attention, making the three look to the direction of the noise.

"We gotta get out of here, now!" Gwen urged as she started to run up the stairs.

"We gotta catch the killer!" Lily urged.

"You can't!" The teenager screamed. A low growl made the trio freeze. "He's way too big to catch!" She finished. Something large moved into the moon light, the eyes shining a dull yellow.

"What is that thing?!" Lily screamed.

"Who cares!?" Hatchet yelled as he picked up the girls and ran up the steps. The creature roared again and swiped at the trio, barely dodging the sharp talons. As he stepped onto the ground floor, he looked back and caught a glimpse at the monster's face. "No…" he gasped, "It can't be." The creature pulled himself up onto the floor and crawled towards them, rapidly catching up to them and slapping them to the side. The trio slid across the floor and into a store, knocking a stand over and covering them in sweaters. Hacthet quickly stood and pulled the security shutter down, hearing a deafening scrape on the other side. "C'mon, get up." He urged as he helped the girls, "I don't know how long the shutter's gonna hold."

"Where are we gonna go?" Gwen asked, "We sealed ourselves in!"

"Not exactly," Lily said as she pointed the flashlight to the back door behind the front desk, "That probably leads to the underground work of the mall."

"Underground?!" The teen repeated nervously.

"It's more of 'the behind the scenes' network." The older girl clarified, "Probably the way people could deliver stores their products without being bothered by customers. We're not going underground."

"Why the heck would you phrase it like that in the first place?!" Gwen exclaimed, "I'm already at my wits' end nearly getting eaten alive! What is with that monster?! Is this some sort of stunt?! Please tell me it's all a joke, Hatchet!"

"'Fraid not." Hatchet uttered, "Wish it was though."

"So I actually watched a guy getting eaten by a giant snake monster?!" She squeaked.

"Apparently so." He answered as he moved to the back, "Now c'mon, we gotta keep moving."

"No, it's gotta be a joke, a big fat joke." Gwen reasoned, "I mean, that monster…heh, I swear, it looked a little bit like Chris..."

"That was Chris." Hatchet uttered as he forced the door open.

"What?" The teen asked, "Oh I get it; it's a giant robot. Kinda like back at the abandoned movie lot. He's probably controlling it somewhere, or actually piloting it-"

"No, you nut ball!" He barked, "That really is Chris! He turned into a monster!"

"You mean…that was your partner?" Lily gasped.

"Hate to admit it, but yeah." He replied.

"It's…all real?!" Gwen uttered, "Chris actually turned into a monster?! We've all been joking that he was a snake, but, really?! Hatchet, what the hell happened?!"

"I'll explain everything! Let's move!" Hatchet barked as the metal squealed with a hard blow.

/

"…And I never seen him ever again," Hatchet finished as the trio reached a storage room filled with spare furniture, "At least, until now."

"…Geez…" Gwen gasped, "I always hated him, but…sorry you had to go through that, Hatchet."

"It's…fine." He replied as he took a seat on a stool, "I just wished I could've been able to help him in some way. But, now I can do something."

"Do something?" Gwen repeated, "What are you going to do? Cover yourself in steak sauce and scream 'come and get it!'?"

"We…need to get out of here." Lily voiced, "The three of us cannot take your partner down; not even with all the junk in this mall."

"We can't just leave him," Hatchet argued, "He'll break out and start destroying the city!"

"Think of this more as a strategical retreat, Hatchet." Lily uttered, "Currently, we don't have a lot of stuff to take him down."

"But…" The older man uttered.

"We semi-saw what happened to Jordan." The spectacled girl continued, "I just don't want that to happen to you."

"…Alright," Hatchet gave in, "The new plan is to get out of this mall and get to the car. But where exactly are we?" Lily walked over to a door in the back and opened it, the two join her in peering at the dim store.

"This is one of those home stores," Lily remarked, "The car's south-west from where we are right now. But we will inevitably reach the middle of the mall, and…meet up with Chris again, if he hasn't crawled away by now."

"So we'll be walking a while, and possibly get eaten alive." Gwen uttered as the three stepped out.

"It's either we sit and wait for him to find us, or take a chance," He said, "Take your pick." Gwen shut up and the three make their way to the open maw of the entrance, moonlight filtering through the large skylights. "Take your shoes off," He instructed as he slipped his loafers off, "No need for unnecessary noise."

"At least we won't be yelled by mall security." Lily joked.

"So…" Gwen stared, "When did you and Chef…y'know?"

"Huh?" The spectacled girl asked before it clicked, "Oh. No, we're friends."

"We just live in the same apartment building," Hatchet butted in, "And…Lily's been trying be a friendly neighbor. That's all."

"I don't know," The teen mused, "You two seem…close. Like, 'close' close."

"So says the girl with two boyfriends." Hatchet remarked, "Actually, one now. Or are you single?"

"Never mind." The teen grumbled as they began their small journey.

"Don't you think it's too quiet?" Lily asked.

"Usually snakes don't make a lot of noise," He explained, "Unless you piss them off. He's probably still where we last were."

"Well, what about other people in this mall?" The spectacled girl pointed out, "You couldn't have been the only person here, right Gwen?"

"No, there were other people," the goth replied, "When the power went out, everyone went nuts and some started to steal some things. I ended up taking refuge in a changing room until everything calmed down."

"And when you got out, you got cornered by Chris?" Hatchet asked.

"Not at first," Gwen replied, "But I saw him eat a few people before he found me. I ended up running into one of those 'new earth' stores, and he just stared at me until your friend fell on his back."

"Maybe that's a way to get him off our tails," Lily suggested, "Maybe he can't stand very strong smells."

"I am not risking anything to rob a hippie store," Hatchet uttered, "We just need to be careful."

"Onward and forward then…" She uttered.

/

To be continued.


	5. Official Confrontation

Sorry, had to go a new direction. It's the same as the last, except there's a new tail.

All characters belong to Tom McGillis and Jen Pertsch.

/

A few minutes of walking brought them to the center again, finding no sign of Chris anywhere. "Do you think he moved on?" Gwen suggested, "Like, to the opposite side of the mall?"

"Don't think so," Hatchet uttered, "But we gotta get going. This way!" The three turned right and ran for the entrance, passing overturned potted plants, and knocked over kiosk debris. "The car should be just ahead," He panted, "We'll go back to the apartments and rethink our strategy."

"Sounds good!" Both girls replied as they ran to the entrance, only to find the door was gone, as well as a section of the wall.

"He broke out…" Lily gasped.

"That means he's out running through Ottawa now!" Hatchet realized.

"Don't you mean, 'slithering'?" Gwen corrected.

"You know damn well what I mean!" The older man said.

"But what would he want in Ottawa now?" Lily asked, "We have a Total Drama contestant right here. Why did he run off?"

"Who cares?" The teen asked, "We got a little of a break. Sure, Chris is probably ripping Ottawa in half, but we all need a breather."

"And a little time to drive." Hatchet added as he walked over to his car, finding it untouched. "I thought this would be trashed." He uttered. As the three piled into the car, Hatchet turned the key and started the engine up. Lily started to mess with the radio until they heard frantic screaming.

"This is Joseph Ross of the Ottawa Emergency broadcast!" A man rapidly shouted over the radio, "We're…I can't believe I'm saying this, but we're getting reports of a giant monster in the streets of Ottawa. I can actually feel the tremors from this creature, whatever it is. We advise all persons to seek shelter underground immediately! We have no idea what this creature is capable of!" A shattering sound was heard and the reporter gasped. "Dear lord no!" The reporter exclaimed before the feed went dead. The three sat in silence as static filled the air.

"That's enough radio for the night…" Lily squeaked as she shut the radio off.

"At least I got an idea where Chris is." Hatchet uttered as he proceeded to drive.

"Are we going to go back to the apartment?" Gwen asked, "Or are we going after…Chris?"

"That radio station is but five to six blocks away from where our apartment is," Lily said, "We could take a chance."

"Change of plans," He said, "We're following him. There's gotta be a reason why he would just left us."

"But we can't fight him!" The teen shouted.

"We ain't fighting him!" Hatchet argued, "We're just tailing him, but we gotta catch up to him first."

"Um…" Lily pondered, "If an animal leaves on its own accord, there's a reason."

"What are you mumbling about?" Hatchet argued.

"Well," the spectacled girl began, "I was just thinking of something dumb. Sometimes, an animal would leave for a good reason. There are countless stories of cats and dogs evacuating an area before a flood occurred. So, maybe there's something that would make Chris crawl away."

"So what, there's a giant tsunami on the way?" Gwen asked.

"Probably not," Lily thought, "But like…ah, I don't know."

"Let's just try to find him." Hatchet said as he turned the corner, finding the street wrecked. Cars were over turned and squealing their alarms. Buildings were knocked aside and some were spewing into the streets. The three swallowed and continued down the street.

/

Later, the trio reached the middle of the city as it was lit up with giant search lights. The trio could see multiple police officers being swept away by a giant tail, a few stragglers running for dear life. "This is bad…" Hatchet uttered as the trio climbed out, "He's probably throwing a hissy fit at this point."

"You just made a freaking snake joke." Gwen snickered.

"Crap." Hatchet uttered as he slapped his forehead.

"Car!" Lily screamed as the others saw a flying cop car coming closer. The three ran as the cop car landed on top of their car, causing glass to explode everywhere.

"Everyone okay?" Hatchet asked.

"I'm fine." Gwen assured.

"Me too." Lily said.

"Please evacuate the area!" an approaching cop shouted as he approached them, "This is a high risk area, and we need civilians to leave immediately!"

"We're not leaving!" Hatchet barked.

"Sir, don't make me arrest you for refusing an officer!" the officer screamed.

"We're actually trailing that monster you're currently dealing with," Lily explained, "He trapped us in the mall."

"That thing's after Total Drama contestants!" Gwen explained.

"We've got everything under control!" The officer said, "Just evacuate this area and take shelter!" Suddenly, a giant hand slapped down on the officer, and they all heard nothing but bones cracking. Hatchet could not help but look up at the owner, inevitably making eye contact with Chris. He swallowed at the sight of his friend. Large golden orbs focused on him as a deep growl emanated from the back of his throat. His 'hair' was somehow composed of long clusters of scales as it dangled in front of his face, close enough for Hatchet to reach out and touch one. His nose was almost non-existent as two large slits flexed and relaxed, the pattern growing slower and slower. Hatchet hated to admit, but the monster before him almost perfectly resembled his old friend.

"Keep still," Gwen suggested through grit teeth, "He might not see us if we don't move." The trio stood frozen in presence of the large beast. They watched with bated breath as the creature looked over them, almost mimicking human judgement as he studied each carefully.

"He sees us." Lily whispered.

"Shut it." Hatchet ordered quietly. Suddenly, a boom rang out as Chris was hit in the back of the head with an explosive. He whipped his head around, giving the trio a chance to peer over to see a group of police officers trying to fight him with a small tank of their own creation.

"Fire! Fire again!" One of them frantically shouted as police scrambled to load another round into their hand-made tank, only to have their handy work smashed as the monster swung its tail, causing the vehicle, its occupants, and a few stragglers to fly away. Chris turned his attention to the trio again and grabbed them, then started to slither down the street as parked cars and rubble was pushed aside.

"What the heck is he doing?" Gwen asked as she struggled to pull her arms out.

"I have no clue!" Hatchet replied.

"He's going to eat us like trail mix!" Lily horrifically reasoned, "He'll just pop one of us in his mouth as he's destroying the city!"

"Don't say that!" Gwen shouted.

"Just try to wriggle out of here!" He commanded, only to feel Chris' grip tighten and limited their struggles to weak, feeble wiggles. Hatchet tried to look ahead and saw that a large group of police in riot gear blocking his path, more of the home-made tanks chugging behind them. A few barked orders ranging from 'shoot the beast' to 'don't hit the hostages' were shouted within the group as the tank barrels took aim at the creature.

"Is this it?" Gwen squeaked out, "Are we going to die?"

"I…I don't know." Hatchet admitted, feeling fear creep along his heart and entangling itself into his mind. "I'm sorry." He croaked out, "I should've just gotten you two out of here." The order to fire was issued as multiple blasts were heard. The trio shut their eyes as they waited for the impact. The smell of gun powder and explosives filled the air as their ears began to ring with the constant explosions, but the three opened their eyes to realize they were still alive. Hatchet soon realized that they were facing away from the gun fire as Chris was hunched over with them clutched to his chest as his body was rocked with each hard hit.

"He's…protecting us?" Lily asked.

"Why?" Gwen squeaked out, "He was hellbent on getting us, it doesn't make sense."

"Maybe it's more of that animal instinct." Hatchet suggested.

"Or maybe he's coming to his senses?" Lily suggested meekly. Suddenly, the three were raised up as they were forced to stare into the yellow eyes again. Chris opened his mouth and popped them inside, enveloping them in darkness as he snapped his mouth shut. Hatchet quickly produced a flashlight and turned it on, feeling a hard twist in the pit of his stomach. The inside was warm, wet, and pink as saliva coated every inch, thick drops plopping on top of their heads. Gwen scrambled to grab a tooth as Lily was frozen in fright, her puny chest rising and falling in rapid fashion, bulging eyes darting back and forth and quiet whimpers escaping through her teeth.

"Lily, calm down." Hatchet said as he scrambled to try to slide towards her, pulling her tiny body close as he used a free hand to grab a fang. "C'mon, I'm here." He said, "It'll be fine."

"We've were just eaten whole!" She screamed out, "It's over!"

"Stop freaking out," He said, "You're going to burn out faster!"

"I can't!" She sobbed, fat tears starting to drop down her face, "We're going to die!" A sudden blow caused their horrifically humid cage to rock, the three letting out a yelp.

"They're probably still fighting him out there." Gwen reasoned as she tried to grab Hatchet's shirt with slime-covered hands, "They probably think we're half-down his throat by now." Lily whimpered and buried her face into his slime covered shirt as Hatchet shot her a glare. "Sorry." She said.

"You did bring up a good point," Hatchet said, "If he wanted to eat us, he would've done so already."

"You're right." Gwen realized, "So…if he isn't going to eat us…why are we even in here?" The fleshy room suddenly lunged forward as the three slid and collided with a wall of teeth, groaning as the room slowly righted itself again. "What happened?" She asked.

"Don't know…" Hatchet admitted, "Probably fell down. But, we're stuck in here until he makes up his mind."

"What if we hit the roof of his mouth?" The teenager asked, "Or the uvula?"

"Can't risk it," He said, "We don't know what's going outside right now. At this point…all we can do is just wait."

"So you're giving up." Gwen said.

"It ain't giving up," Hatchet spat, "I'm...just waiting. We're all tired at this point, so we might as well take a break."

"Great place to take a break." The teen uttered.

"Either here, or in a puddle of stomach acid." The older man said, "Take your pick."

"At least it doesn't stink." The teen muttered.

/

To be continued.


End file.
